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Stingless Bees From the Amazon Granted Legal Rights in World First (Maria)

The author writes, “Stingless bees from the Amazon have become the first insects to be granted legal rights anywhere in the world, in a breakthrough supporters hope will be a catalyst for similar moves to protect bees elsewhere. It means that across a broad swathe of the Peruvian Amazon, the rainforest’s long-overlooked native bees now have the right to exist and flourish.”

Trump Administration Planning Vast Migrant Warehouses (Reader Jim)

The author writes, “The next phase of the Trump administration’s immigration crackdown may look less like a prison network and more like a national warehouse grid. According to a draft government solicitation obtained by the Washington Post, Immigration and Customs Enforcement is exploring contracts to convert industrial warehouses into high-capacity detention centers able to hold more than 80,000 people at once.”

Here’s What Happens Now That We’re Going Over the Obamacare Cliff (Dana)

From The New Republic: “ACA marketplace enrollees are set to see their health insurance costs spike. But when premium tax credits expire, profound systemic shocks will be felt well beyond individual customers.”

‘This Has Redefined Israel’s Global Identity’: Israeli Weapons Industry Bullish After Genocide (Sean)

From Drop Site News: “At a recent military technology conference in Tel Aviv, Israeli weapons companies made some of their most explicit remarks yet connecting the value of their products to the real-world testing of that firepower on Palestinians in Gaza. A recording of the conference remarks was obtained by Drop Site News and includes comments from the president and CEO of the Israel Aerospace Industries as well as executives at Elbit Systems, RAFAEL Advanced Defense Systems, and others. … The newly uncovered remarks suggest that, rather than having been chastened by global condemnation for the genocide in Gaza, the nation’s weapons industry is emboldened by it.”

How Vance Brokered a Truce Between Trump and Musk (Russ)

From The Washington Post: “JD Vance played a key role brokering a reconciliation between the president and his wealthiest supporter. But as Trump’s first year in office comes to a close, both he and his allies have learned hard lessons about Musk’s unusual influence.”

High-Fat Cheese May Have Cognitive Benefit, Study Suggests (Mili)

The author writes, “A higher intake of high-fat cheese and cream was linked to lower dementia risk in a large Swedish study. Low-fat cheese, milk, and butter had no association with dementia risk over 25 years. The findings align with data from other studies, challenging long-held assumptions about fat and brain health.”

A Trap Was Set for a Bear Living Under an Altadena Home for a Month. It Caught the Wrong Bear (Reader Steve)

From the Los Angeles Times: “A trap meant to capture a bear that’s been under an Altadena home for a month was sprung but was triggered by the wrong beast. Biologists at the California Department of Fish and Wildlife have had a bear trap set at Ken Johnson’s house since Dec. 9 in an attempt to capture a 550-pound male black bear that wedged itself in the crawl space of his home a month ago. After weeks of unsuccessfully setting out caramel- and cherry-flavored bait and noisemakers in the hopes of flushing the bear out, it seemed like all of the efforts had paid off last week. Johnson heard the rattling of the metal cage from inside his home Dec. 16, but realized quickly it wasn’t the right bear.”